Woolly Blue Curls are truly woolly

I love woolly bluecurls Trichostema lanatum.

This California native evergreen is native to coastal scrub and chaparral from northern Baja to Monterey county. It grows 3 to 4 foot tall and wide, producing blooms throughout the year.

It grows best in full sun, with good drainage and shouldn't be fertilized or mulched. It is drought tolerant once established, and requires very little water.

The unusual, striking blossoms are visited and pollinated by hummingbirds, butterflies and bees.

I planted this one as a seedling last year, and so far it seems to be happy in the clay soil.

It currently is about eight inches tall, and I can't wait to see it as a taller shrub.

What is very interesting right now is that there is a ladybug larva on the plant.

And you know that if there is one larva on a plant there are more nearby.

You can see the distinctive orange and red larva in the image below.